Court Denies Bail Request To Ex-Kogi Gov, Bello In N110bn Fraud Case

Alhaji Yahaya Bello, the immediate former governor of Kogi State, has been detained since November 25 and was denied bail by a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama on Tuesday.

The court, in a ruling that was delivered by Justice Maryann Anenih, described as premature and incompetent the application the former governor filed to be released on bail, pending the determination of the charge against him.

The court noted that Bello filed the bail application even before he surrendered himself to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Justice Anenih, who stressed that a bail application is filed to challenge the detention of a defendant, wondered why the former governor filed his motion at a time he was not in custody.

She held that the implication of Bello’s action was that he attempted to invoke the jurisdiction of the court too early.

“Consequently, the instant application, having been filed prematurely, is hereby refused,” the trial judge held.

However, the court admitted the 2nd defendant in the matter, Umar Oricha, to bail in the sum of N300 million with two sureties in the same sum.

Justice Anenih is yet to decide the fate of the third defendant in the matter.

Bello, who piloted the affairs of Kogi State from 2016 to 2024, is facing trial over his alleged complicity in a N110 billion fraud.

He is answering to a 16-count charge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, preferred against him and two officials of the Kogi state government—Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu—who were cited as 2nd and 3rd defendants in the matter

All the defendants had on November 27 pleaded not guilty to the charge, even as trial Justice Aninih remanded them in custody of the EFCC, pending the determination of their bail applications.

The EFCC had specifically urged the court to turn down former governor Bello’s request for bail.

The agency, through its team of lawyers led by Mr. Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, told the court that Bello, who is the 1st defendant in the case, repeatedly refused to make himself available for trial.

It told the court that several efforts to secure his presence before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, where he is facing another charge, proved abortive.

More so, the EFCC challenged the competence of the bail application it noted was filed on November 22, about five days before the arraignment took place.

Consequently, it prayed the court to dismiss the bail application that Bello filed through his legal team led by a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Mr. Joseph Daudu, SAN.

Bello, in his application that was predicated on six grounds, argued that he enjoys the presumption of innocence under the law.

Insisting that he was innocent of all the allegations the EFCC levelled against him, the defendant contended that he would not be able to effectively prepare his defense if allowed to remain in detention.

The defence lawyer urged the court to ignore EFCC’s claim that his client refused to submit himself for trial.

The charge against the defendants, marked CR/7781, borders on conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, and possession of unlawfully obtained property.

EFCC alleged that the former governor misused state funds to acquire properties, including No. 35 Danube Street, Maitama District, Abuja (N950 million), No. 1160 Cadastral Zone C03, Gwarimpa II District, Abuja (N100 million), and No. 2 Justice Chukwudifu Oputa Street, Asokoro, Abuja (N920 million).

Other properties the defendants allegedly acquired with funds stolen from the Kogi state treasury included Block D Manzini Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja (N170 million), Hotel Apartment Community: Burj Khalifa, Dubai (Five Million, Six Hundred and Ninety-Eight Thousand, Eight Hundred and Eighty-Eight Dirhams), Block 18, Gwelo Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja (N60 million), and No. 9 Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja (N310.4 million).

Likewise, the defendants were accused of transferring $570,330 and $556,265 to TD Bank, USA, and possessing unlawfully obtained property, including N677.8 million from Bespoque Business Solution Limited.